Janesville Water Utility identifies street segments where pipes are vulnerable to freezing

Tom Woodward with Woodward Petroleum operates a welding generator to send electric current through frozen water pipes on Joliet Street in Janesville. The city contracts with the company to use its welding equipment to thaw pipes.

TO LEARN MORE

For more information about areas of Janesville considered vulnerable to water service lines freezing can contact the Janesville Water Utility by email at waterutilitymail@ci.janesville.wi.us or by calling 608-755-3115 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

VULNERABLE AREAS

Areas the Janesville Water Utility currently deems vulnerable service line freeze are:

-- 2600-2700 block of Affirmed Drive

-- 1300 and 2800 blocks Anthony Avenue

-- 4600 block of Atlantis Drive

-- 3200 block of Aurora Lane

-- 3600-3700 blocks of Birdsong Lane

-- 4000 block of Braemore Drive

-- 3400 block of Buckthorn Terrace

-- 1800 and 2000 blocks of Center Avenue

-- 2400 block of Chatham Street

-- 2600-2700 blocks of Citation Drive

-- 400 block of Clearview Court

-- 3300 block of Colby Lane

-- 600 block of Cornelia Street

-- 3200 block of Crabapple Lane

-- 4000 block of Creekside Drive

-- 3200 block of Dover Court

-- 4700 block of Dresser Drive

-- 4700 block of Drott Drive

-- 2100 block of Frontier Road

-- 1600-2000 blocks of Garden Drive

-- 1300 block of Grand Avenue

-- 1800-1900 blocks of South Grant Avenue

-- 1100 block of North Huron Drive

-- 4300 block of Highway 51 South

-- 2800 block of Joliet Street

-- 2600-2700 blocks of Kelso Drive

-- 500 block of Laurel Avenue

-- 300 block of South Main Street

-- 2100 to 2200 blocks of South Marion Avenue

-- 3500 block of Marvog Drive

-- 4000 block of South Oakhill Avenue (Rock County Airport)

-- 2600-2700 blocks of Omaha Drive

-- 4600 block of Overlook Drive

-- 600 block of South Parker Drive

-- 2100 block of Pioneer Road

-- 200 block of South Pontiac Drive

-- 700 block of Princeton Court

-- 1200 block of South River Road

-- 100 block of Royal Court

-- 3100-3500 blocks of Royal Road

-- 3000 block of Secretariat Drive

-- 800 block of Sentinel Drive

-- 900 block of Sharon Road

-- 2100-2200 blocks of Sheridan Street

-- 200 block of Sinclair Street

-- 200 block of Sioux Court

-- 1100 block of Somerset Court

-- 3200-3300 blocks of Stellar Drive

-- 4300 block of Tanglewood Drive

-- 3200-3300 blocks of Tennyson Drive

-- 2400 block of South Terrace Street

-- 300 block of South Walnut Street

-- 3600-3700 blocks of Wildflower Lane

-- 800 block of South Willard Avenue

JANESVILLE--Janesville Water Utility officials have identified 54 street segments where water service pipes are vulnerable to freezing.

Officials are recommending people living along those blocks continuously run a pencil-thick stream of water from a faucet.

Those in the so-called vulnerable areas will not be charged for the additional water used and will not be charged for thawing pipes if they freeze.

Workers are gauging those areas at risk by measuring the water temperature at nearby fire hydrants. They also are considering where other freezes occurred.

Structures on cul de sacs or dead-end streets appear to be more susceptible because the water doesn't run as freely, said Dave Botts, utility director.

Properties on the south end of town—south of Memorial Drive or East Milwaukee Street—particularly those on dead-end streets, have been identified as vulnerable to freeze-ups.

“Those on the edges of the system, where it's just not moving around very much, are the main problems,” Botts said.

Service pipes are freezing as ground frost pushes deeper than it has in recent history because of the bitter cold.

Residents should continue to check the list of vulnerable areas listed on the city website because it will be updated as pipes freeze or water temperatures fall.

Officials in some cities are requesting that all residents run their water and are offering to pay for the additional water used.

Janesville Water Utility staff has determined the system “overall doesn't have that potential problem that we need everybody in town to run water,” Botts said.

“We're trying to focus on these areas that we feel have a greater potential for freezing,” he said.

Residents who are concerned about their pipes freezing can call the water utility for advice.

Residents who suspect their water service is vulnerable to freezing can reduce that possibility by running a pencil-thick stream of water, Bott said.

Those who do not live in vulnerable areas can choose to run their water but will have to pay for that water.

They also will be charged if workers are called to thaw their pipes if the freeze is on the resident-side of the stop box. They might be eligible for a credit if their area is declared to be vulnerable, Botts said.

To be eligible for a credit, residents must live in a vulnerable area and notify the water utility office of their intention to run a faucet continuously.